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SOLAR TERRESTRIAL PROBES (STP) AND LIVING WITH A STAR (LWS) EDUCATION MISSION

The NASA STP/LWS Education and Public Outreach is a national model of diverse educators, collaborating to promote and integrate the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) across the curriculum.  The model aligns with NASA’s educational goals:  to inspire the next generation of learners and support formal and informal education.

EDUCATION GOALS

• Science literacy for all Americans
• Technology education and integration
• Engineering and design in the standard curriculum
• Math concepts integrate in various curriculum areas
• Target underrepresented/undeserved groups
• Form partnerships between STP/LWS Program and community entities

Leverage: Collaboration with the general public, scientists, engineers and educational stakeholders.

• Website:  Create and maintain a website/homepage/newsletter-(internal and external)
• Newsletter:  A quarterly newsletter to inform our Star Partners and the community about our news and accomplishments.
• Reports:  Update information for distribution (internal/external)
• Meetings: Weekly
• Public Outreach: Community outreach
• Informal Education: Museums, libraries, observatories, youth organizations, before and after school programs
• Professional Development Workshops: Educators
• Internships: Students

Assessment:  Evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

• Self-assessment
• Database of workshops evaluations from school and community
• Measurable outcomes:  Standardized format for collection of data on programs
• Post assessments
• Follow-up meetings
• EDCATS

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EDUCATION OBJECTIVES

NASA Mission is "To Inspire the Next Generation of Explorers." This mission provides the strategic basis for our education program – "To engage educators to inspire and motivate students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics." NASA education objectives relates with the heliophysics theme in four areas:

• Objective 6.1 - Improve student proficiency in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, by creating a culture of achievement, using educational programs, products, and services, based on NASA’s unique missions, discoveries and innovations.
• Objective 6.2 - Motivate K-16+ students from diverse communities to pursue science and math courses, and ultimately, college degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
• Objective 6.3 - Enhance, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instruction with unique teaching tools and experiences that only NASA can provide, that are compelling to educators and students.
• Objective 6.4 - Improve higher education capacity to provide NASA’s and the Nation’s future science and technology workforce requirements.

NASA engages the public in shaping and sharing the exploration of discovery and exploration. Our education program engages the public in the study of the Sun by:

• Objective 7.1 - Improve the capacity of science centers, museums, and other institutions, through development of partnerships, to translate and deliver engaging NASA content.
• Objective 7.2 - Improve science literacy by engaging the public in NASA missions and discoveries, and their benefits, through such avenues as public programs, community outreach, mass media, and the Internet.

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OVERALL STP/LWS EDUCATION OBJECTIVES

The overall objectives of the EPO Program is to:

• Inspire learning - Inspire and motivate students with emphasis on K-16 level so that they will be encouraged to pursue science learning and careers in science, math, and engineering.
• Support Educators - Ensure that our study of the Sun is tailored and presented to our education community using the appropriate benchmarks.
• Provide Quality Products - Provide educators and outreach personnel with quality teaching resources and activities that are related to Heliophysics themes and aligned with national standards.
• Reach Out - Broaden the range of and access to education and outreach efforts and materials in order to involve more minority, under-represented, community-based organizations and other groups (e.g., amateur astronomers) in Heliophysics science and outreach projects.
• Be Bi-Lingual - Provide products and materials in English and in Spanish.
• Excite the Public - Share the excitement and challenge of our scientific research and achievements with the general public.

The plan for implementing these strategies and incorporating the EPO themes is as follows:

Formal Education

The EPO Program will continue to implement a strong program of in-service professional development of teachers, strengthen our efforts in pre-service teacher preparation, and implement a strong K-4 component that will integrate science with literacy; math and art as effective tools for increasing space science content in the elementary grades. Partnering with the formal education community, the EPO Program develops innovative approaches such as the use of art and humanities as an outreach tool to engage non-science oriented audiences. A strong formal education web-based component and coordination with Public Affairs also engages educators and students with the latest Solar physics discoveries. The EPO Program has already embedded the philosophy and practice of engaging underserved and underrepresented groups, and will continue this approach.

Informal Education

The proposed alliance of museums engaged in solar observations and related activities become a magnet for our program involving teachers, amateur astronomers, and scientists. A museum alliance cuts across all three major areas of formal education, informal education, and public outreach. The EPO program has actively involved space scientists, educators and engineers in the use of Sun-Earth activity kits and Sunspotters in their presentations and workshops.

Public Outreach, partnerships with amateur astronomers and community groups will enhance our public outreach component. The EPO Program will develop high visibility events to provide an opportunity to bridge the boundaries between formal education, informal education, and public outreach. By supporting these events, will catalyze the participation of scientists, educators, students, and the public in projects of national and international scope. Coordinating the STP/LWS program missions with other programs and missions at GSFC and other NASA centers, the EPO program will leverage existing national and SECEF sponsored major events, such as Sun-Earth Day and webcasts for museums and the internet. The Public Outreach initiative will invest in new public engagement opportunities developed by scientists and engineers. Networks and alliances will be used to disseminate information and images (particularly high-resolution, high-definition visualizations) throughout the informal education community, leveraging pre-existing and new networks to the fullest extent. Outreach exhibits employ STP/LWS science results for display at conferences; in the long term of the program will develop an interactive exhibit to provide opportunities for the informal/formal education community to incorporate new ideas, and to loan the exhibit for public engagement.

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